Overview

• Gabon will bar raw manganese exports starting January 1, 2029, under President Brice Oligui Nguema’s plan to add value to its mineral wealth.
• The government has granted the mining sector a three-year transition period and announced a public-private investment fund to develop local processing facilities.
• Eramet, operator of the world’s largest manganese mine at Moanda, pledged to protect more than 10,460 jobs and to cooperate closely with officials.
• The export restriction follows similar measures in Guinea, Zimbabwe and Tanzania that aim to raise tax revenues and upskill workforces through domestic refining.
• Although manganese is a key export alongside oil and timber, roughly one-third of Gabon’s 2.3 million people still live in poverty despite the country’s natural wealth.